X-Men: Retribution
by Rylee Wyatt
Summary: Cori Mynor is just an innocent, six year-old girl, but her life changes when her parents, powerful mutants, are taken for experimentation. After running to avoid capture as well, Cori is taken in by the Brotherhood, who still fight against the humans for their freedom. Now, 10 years later, Cori is used to spy on Xavier's Institute, but can she keep her secret? Future-fic, canon.
1. Chapter 1: 10 Years Ago

**A/N: This is my first X-Men fanfic, and I hope that with mostly my own characters, that I will actually be able to go somewhere with this. I hope you all enjoy it, and please tell me what you think of it. **

**~Rylee**

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X-Men: Retribution

Part I: 10 Years Ago

Cori Mynor sniffled and shifted her position on the cold, hard ground. How she had got here, she didn't know. All she knew is that she had to get away, or else they would have taken her too. Cori's parents had told her to run as fast and hard as she could, only a small backpack to last her who-knows-how-long. Her parents were gone now, and she knew she had to grow up.

At six years, though, that wasn't the easiest thing. Luckily, hiding had always been easy for her. Her light brown hair was stringy from the rain that night and the alley smelled nasty. What Cori would have done to snuggle down back in her bed at home and have her father tell her silly bedtime stories. Her mother would look from the doorway with a smile on her face, and the two of them would share a look of pride. It took Cori a year or so to figure out what it was from the time she first started noticing it; it was a look of pride for _her. _Cori's heart twinged at the thought, and she opened her bag.

She had been on the run for three days, and she was still unsure of the whole "homeless" thing, but she wasn't kidnapped, starving, or severely injured, so Cori figured she was doing alright. Her bag held several water bottles, a change of clothes, plenty of granola bars and trail mix, and a couple hundred dollars in cash.

As the six year-old was struggling to open a water bottle, she heard a person, or more than one person, at the end of the alley, whispering to each other. Cori sunk down and back into her crevice between some boxes and a dumpster. She shuddered at the thought of bugs and animals there with her, but didn't move.

Her pulse sped up when she heard footsteps coming down the alley, and the young girl held her breath. _Who are they? _Her panicked mind thought. She couldn't fight or defend herself. What if they wanted to hurt her?

The footsteps stopped on the other side of the boxes she was hiding behind. She jumped at a voice calling out.

"We're not going to hurt you."

Cori felt tears prick her eyes. _Of course _they weren't. She didn't move.

There was silence for a few seconds, and then the second voice grumbled, "I say we just nab her. She couldn't have come to her powers yet. The Boss wants her in soon." Cori started truly panicking at those words. They were looking specifically for her. Why? And how did they know she would probably have powers?

The first voice, the kinder one, just sighed. "No, she has to come to us. Although I doubt she's going to trust anybody." He paused. "If we show you our powers and tell you where we're taking you, will you come with us?"

It was stupid, but Cori knew at least the first man was trustworthy. She could sense it. She crawled to the end of the boxes, and peeked out.

The man on the right was the taller of the two, and had blonde hair. He wore a brown coat and jeans. The man on the left had brown red hair, and was scowling. He just had a t-shirt and jeans on. Cori assumed the blond was the nice-sounding one, and the red-haired one was the grumpy one.

The nice guy saw her first, and smiled. "There you are."

The second guy sighed. "She's not going to come out until you show her."

The other man nodded, and looked both ways down the alley. Nobody was out this time of night in this part of town, and for good reason. He held out his hand and clenched it into a fist. A shiny metal gauntlet formed over his hand, as if he had armor on. Then, a plate appeared on his chest, some on his arms, and his legs. Cori's mouth fell open. Where did all of that come from?

The armor disappeared, and Cori shook it off. That didn't mean anything, though. They could still try to kidnap her or something. Especially the red-haired guy.

"She doesn't like me." The said man grumbled. "I'll be at the end of the alley." He went back the way the two of them came, and went around the corner, leaving the blond and Cori alone. Cori felt slightly more comfortable.

"Where do you want to take me?" She asked quietly. "Who's The Boss?"

The man looked at her sadly. "You've had a hard couple of days. We just want to take you to a safe place; our camp in the woods. The Boss is the current head of the Brotherhood, who fight against the humans who don't like people like us."

"Like us? You mean mutants?"

He nodded. "Yes, mutants."

"I don't have any superpowers."

"We've looked at your genealogy, and you're very likely to have powers. Both sides of your family have very strong lines of mutants."

Cori thought about it. He wasn't lying; she knew that much. She didn't know if it was a part of her power that may be emerging, or if she just had a knack for it. "I'll come, as long as you don't hurt me and your friend doesn't come near me." Cori gripped her bag. "If we go somewhere else or you do something, I'm going to call the police."

The man nodded. "It's a deal. How about you get off of the ground now, and we'll take you to the car." Cori stood up, wiped off her jeans and slung the bag over her shoulder. She kept a distance between her and the man as they set off towards the end of the alley where the other man was waiting.

"My name is Tyler, by the way. But you can call me Stronghold."

Cori looked up at the second name. "Why Stronghold?"

"Because of my power," He explained as they turned the corner. Cori puller her jacket closer to her when they saw the other guy, but he just fell into step next to Tyler, ignoring her. "Every mutant has a special name. When you get your powers, you'll get a cool name."

Cori never knew that, although she had heard of mutants calling themselves weird things, but she just assumed it was because they were bad guys and they didn't want their real names out there. "What's your name?" She asked the red-haired man.

"Fracture." He said shortly. Obviously, he wasn't going to give Cori his real name.

"What's your name?" Tyler said. "Since you know ours."

"Cori." She said. "I don't have a last name anymore."

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**A/N: This chapter is short; I usually try to make my chapters at least 1,500 words. Leave a review, and ask any questions, give any suggestions, or just random review.**

**~Rylee**


	2. Chapter 2: Past

**A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to the second installment of X-Men: Retribution! In this chapter, I give you a background on the whole X-Men series, and then we follow through Cori's ten years with the Brotherhood, ending with a task. Enjoy!**

**~Rylee**

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Part II: Past

Section I: The Story

Many people in the world have discovered a strange yet fantastic truth about themselves: They are mutants. They are people with extraordinary abilities, caused by evolution in the human gene pool. We are evolving.

Fifteen years ago, the Brotherhood struck against the government. The government was making a cure, and giving it out to mutants. This, to the Brotherhood, was incomprehensible. Mutants should be proud of the abilities they were given, not get rid of them to become _human_.

Magneto, the leader of the Brotherhood, called all of his forces and attacked Alcatraz, which was the base of operations for the scientists making the cure. The Brotherhood stormed the island. The guards of the base had guns made of plastic (so Magneto, with his metal-bending abilities couldn't pull one of his tricks) with the cure inside instead of bullets.

The Brotherhood's plans were foiled, though, by the X-Men, led by the Wolverine, his adamatium metal body and fearsome claws making him a formidable opponent. Also in the group was Storm, a powerful woman who controlled the weather; Beast, a blue, hairy beast whose usually calm demeanor disappeared in an instant; Iceman, a young student at the Institute who can freeze anything; Kitty Pryde, a talented young woman, also a student, and one who can phase through walls; and Colossus, another student who can turn his whole body metal and is extremely strong, This small group fought against the Brotherhood, and saved the young boy who was the source of the cure.

One of the Institute's teachers, Jean Grey, had been turned to the Brotherhood by Magneto, unlocking her full powers, which had been blocked by the psychic Charles Xavier, founder and headmaster at the Institute. He had known her powers were too powerful, and did it to protect her from a young age. However, it had backfired, and she turned to the other side.

Also turned to the other side was a student at Xavier's Institute, John Allerdyce, also known as Pyro. He could control fire, but (to his disappointment) could not create it. It seemed he was inspired by Magneto's freedom ideas, and went with him.

On Alcatraz, Jean Grey, called the Phoenix, with her dangerous powers, starts to completely destroy the island. Everything is destroyed into ashes. The only one who can get close to her is Wolverine, who, along with his metal skeleton and claws, also has extremely fast healing abilities. Making an ultimate sacrifice, he kills her, and saves Alcatraz, for the most part.

Now, 15 years later, the Brotherhood, after losing their leader to the cure, are back and ready to fight against the restricting laws that were put upon mutants after that fateful night. Laws to trace every mutant and their family line, making sure that they did not go undetected were put into place, as well as laws to review every mutant, their record, and their ability, to determine if they are safe to live in the world.

At the same time, people are more accepting of mutants. The government, however, wants to rid of mutants altogether. They cost the economy billions of dollars, and they're dangerous.

However, mutants won't go down without a fight.

In the years after "the incident" on Alcatraz, Xavier's Institute for the Gifted has continued normally, Storm, gaining the post of Headmaster after Xavier passed away, had retired after 10 years, and a young previous student of the Institute took the position.

The school, as usual, is a safe haven for mutant students to get a normal (or somewhat-normal) education, without humans looking at them in the way they always did: With distrust. The young mutants can express themselves and learn in a peaceful environment, where being a mutant is the norm.

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Section II: 10 Years

It had been two months since the young six year old, Cori, was initiated into the Brotherhood. The newest leader of the group, Clamor, had readily accepted her, telling her to go to the mind reader to be "reviewed", and Cori did so. After they announced that she wasn't affiliated with the X-Men or humans, they gave her clothes, a bedroom, and other essentials.

Her room was, like the whole Brotherhood headquarters (or at least this one; they apparently had groups all over the world) was underground, and there was no windows. However, her two roommates, girls about her age, had decorated the room to look like normal little-girls' rooms.

The concrete walls had been painted blue and pink, and posters were all over the walls. Pictures of family were messily taped up, and a few scattered belongings were on the floor. A dirty purple carpet was in the center of the floor.

When Cori walked in with a guard behind her, the two girls looked up. They were both older than her. One looked about seven, and had dark skin and pretty eyes. Her hair was curly and clipped back. The other girl, who looked about nine, had dark, dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes. She also had glasses, and some freckles like Cori. They both were playing with dolls on the carpet in the middle of the room.

The guard closed the door behind her, and Cori jumped. The other girls looked her up and down. "You need to change your clothes." Said the younger girl.

Cori nodded slowly, glancing down at her dirty knees. Her shoes were covered in mud and a piece of gum was stuck to the bottom of her left shoe. The older girl must have seen Cori's nervousness because she stood up and held out her hand. "I'm Baylee and this is Emma. I guess we're your new roommates!" Her cheery voice made Cori feel better slightly. She shook Baylee's hand.

"My name is Cori. Where can I change my clothes?" She picked up the bag some people had given her on the way to her room. It had clothes and other things in it. Cori was still carrying her old backpack.

Baylee pointed to a door in between the two sets of bunk beds, and directly in across from the door Cori had just come in. "That's the bathroom the three of us share. There's a shower and a toilet and a sink." She pointed to the bunk bed that didn't have anything on it. "You can have that whole bunk bed to yourself. Emma and I share the other one." Cori nodded and stepped around Emma, who was back to playing with the dolls. Cori set her old bag on the bed and hefted the other onto it as well and got out clothes.

It was the start of her new life.

Now, two months later, she had finally grown into it.

The day started off with an early wake-up call, via the mind reader. Then, the three girls would get ready in about 15 minutes, and take off to breakfast. The kids that hadn't developed their powers yet, about 5 to 12 years old, all ate in one cafeteria, while the others ate in another. Then, they would go to a small school room, where the few of the young ones would do school work with the resident genius: Sharps. Cori continued to learn to read and write, math, science, history, learn a few new languages, and take other courses.

She gained new friendships with Baylee and Emma, and another couple of girls, slowly gaining a new identity and life. Cori thought about her parents every day, and wondered what had happened to them.

Four years after Cori had joined the Brotherhood, she started combat training. It was very simple stuff, but in the off chance she or any of the others didn't develop powers, they had to be able to defend themselves in the real world from anybody who would want to harm them for being part of the Brotherhood.

By this time, Cori had almost forgotten about her parents. She had new parents, including Stronghold, who had found her that one day, and her other teachers. Combat training went well for her, and she quickly got up to the level a couple of the 12 year olds who hadn't developed any powers were at.

Finally, when Cori was 12 and ¼ she noticed something was off. Everytime she looked at a person a certain way, memories and information flooded her mind. Also, she felt like she was almost floating, like she didn't quite belong in that dimension or something. Cori immediately saw Shaman, who could see people's powers, as well as see into the future slightly.

He met her in his office, which was covered in mystical objects and star charts. Cori thought it was a little weird, but she just sat down where Shaman indicated she should.

"What had been bothering you?"

"Over the past week, I've been feeling weirder and weirder. I almost feel like I'm not all here or something. And then I look at a person and I get this flood of…memories, I think. Is it my power?"

Shaman closed his eyes. After a minute or so, he nodded. "It is very new, but yes, you have come to your ability."

"What is it?" Cori asked eagerly, and then forced herself to calm down. Her excitement made the floating feeling worse.

"It is a power I have never seen before." He opened his eyes. "It has to do with the shadows. What else beyond that, I do not know. Perhaps later, after it had developed more, I can tell. In the meantime, experiment in the practice arena."

Cori nodded. "I'll go there now." She thanked Shaman and rushed down to her room, checking her watch. It was free time for Baylee, and she would be in the room.

She burst into the room, shutting the door behind her. Baylee, who was reading on her bed, whipped her head around when the door slammed. "Baylee! Guess what?"

Baylee marked her place and looked at Cori warily. "Emma made Bob's eyebrows disappear again? You put another fake snake in the adult's bathroom?"

Cori shook her head and bounced slightly. "I have my power!"

Baylee jumped up. "You do?! That's great, Cori!" Now 15, Baylee had had her power for about three and a half years, and loved it too. She could create an astral projection of herself, anybody, or anything she wanted. Emma's power was the power of invisibility.

Cori nodded enthusiastically. "I know! Shaman said it had to do with shadows, which is creepy, but cool. Maybe that's why I feel like I'm not really here, but I don't really know what it has to do with being able to see people's memories and stuff."

"Really, you can see people's memories?" Baylee asked. "That's creepy. Can you see mine?"

Cori tried, but she couldn't. "No, I guess it only works at certain times. Can you come to the practice arena with me?"

"Do I ever. I got a new trick up my sleeve I want to try."

Almost ten years after Cori got to the vast underground structure that was her home, she was called into Clamor's office, the leader of the Brotherhood.

Cori sat down in the chair. Now 16, she finally felt old enough to be taken seriously by the adult Brotherhood members, but she still felt small and young when she was in the same room as Clamor.

"You called for me?" Cori asked.

Clamor nodded. "I have been informed that you have almost completely mastered your powers?"

Cori nodded. Over the past four years, she had been working hard. She had finally found out what her original symptoms were caused by. The lightness was because she could change her body into what was almost shadow. She could walk through walls, which was awesome. The memory reading was because, to her, a person's shadow was a summary of their whole being; their entire identity was in their shadow. Cori could also make force fields out of shadows.

"Good," Clamor said. "We shall give you your Brotherhood name, and send you to Xavier's Institute for the Gifted." He smiled at Cori. "You're going to do some spying for me."

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**A/N: Please review!**

**~Rylee**


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